


Dynasty

by pleuvoirx



Category: Divergent - All Media Types
Genre: Cross-Posted on Wattpad, F/M, Originally Posted Elsewhere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:07:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29850264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pleuvoirx/pseuds/pleuvoirx
Summary: [thought we built a dynasty forever couldn't break up][Eric Coulter][Divergent][Originally posted on Wattpad]
Relationships: Eric (Divergent)/Original Female Character(s), Four | Tobias Eaton/Tris Prior
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

Amity.

The Amity faction was known for their kindness. People described them as happy, always harmonious and joyful. The Amity trusted and forgave easily, wanting the world to be peaceful at all times.

Not Annabella Beckett.

From a young age, Annabella knew she was different. She didn't belong in Amity. While they valued kindness and peace, Annabella valued bravery and chaos. She didn't forgive and forget easily.   
She held grudges, often making things harder than they should've been in the peaceful faction.

The first time she saw members from the Dauntless faction, she knew that that was where she was meant to be. She loved watching them, longing to be as free and brave as they were. She wasn't   
Amity and she was never going to be. 

Annabella was meant for Dauntless.

\---

She raised an arm, swiping it across her forehead to wipe away the beads of sweat that had formed there. The hot evening sun was beating down on her, causing her dress to feel hotter than it normally did. She held her basket against her hip, narrowing her green eyes at her fellow faction members as they worked.

The Amity members moved slowly, their movements smooth and precise. A few of them examined the fruits they had picked carefully before placing them in baskets, while others popped them in without a second glance.

Annabella hummed as she watched them, picking a strawberry out of her own basket before popping it in her mouth. 

"Annabella." A chastising voice spoke behind her and the girl rolled her eyes.

She turned on her heel, clutching the basket with both hands now and smiled sweetly. "Yes mother?"

"What have I told you about eating the fruit before it's been washed?" Annabella's mom tsked at her daughter, poking her nose as she reached her. "It's not clean."

"Sorry mom." She nodded her head. "I won't do it again."

"You say that every time." Mrs. Beckett teased her with knowing eyes the same shade as her own. She placed her hand in Annabella's basket, winking at her as she grabbed her own strawberry and ate it. "Don't let anyone else see you do it."

Annabella grinned at her mother again, grabbing another berry. Her mother was one of the easiest people to get along with in Amity. While she was strict about most of their rules, she did allow her daughter her freedom when she could. Annabella appreciated it.

"Now." Her mom cleared her throat, nodding to the houses behind the fields. "Tomorrow is your aptitude test. Go get ready for bed so you're well rested."

"Yes ma'am." Annabella nodded, giving her mother her basket before turning towards her house. 

She was ready for her aptitude test. In just a couple of days, she would finally be able to leave Amity and join Dauntless. She had been waiting for this day since she was ten years old and it was finally here.

She wanted to be sad about leaving her old faction behind, just a little bit. But she couldn't fight back the excitement that she felt. Annabella didn't belong in Amity and anyone who knew her could attest to that. She was brave and she was courageous. She stepped out of line more than once and she had no problem breaking Amity's society rules.

As she was about to step out of the fields, a force hit her stomach harshly. She let out a slight 'oof' sound, taken back by the impact and she looked down. Her little brother had wrapped himself around her waist, smiling up at her with a toothless grin. "Hi Anna."

Annabella smiled at the boy, messing around with his messy brown hair for a moment. "What's up?"

"Dad told me to come in." Chandler told her, unhooking him arms from her to grab her hand in his small one. He skipped side by side with her on the way to their house. "Are you excited for tomorrow?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am."

"Are you going to stay here?" 

Annabella looked down at Chandler, who stared back with wide brown eyes. She smiled at him, stopping in her tracks to kneel down. Annabella placed her hands on his shoulders. "Chandler, you know I'm not allowed to talk about this stuff with you."

"I know." He mumbled, kicking a rock with his shoe. "But I don't want you to leave."

Annabella sighed, pulling her brother into her and kissing his head. "It'll be okay."

She did hate that she was leaving her brother. He was young, and once she left, he would be the only child left in the house. He still had quite a few years until he took his aptitude test, considering the fact that he was only eight.

"Come on." She pulled away from him and grabbed his hand. "Let's get ready for bed."

Chandler sighed, but followed behind Annabella willingly. She sent him towards the bathroom, telling him to take a bath before bed and waited on him to finish. When he was done, she gave him fresh pajamas and told him goodnight. Annabella waited until the door was shut before she began to get ready for bed. 

Tomorrow was the day. The day her life would finally start.

\---

The schoolyard was buzzing with noise when Annabella arrived the next morning. Her eyes wandered around the courtyard, observing each faction with hawk-like eyes. The Candors were talking amongst each other loudly, all of them looking excited about the test that was about to happen.

Abnegation was silent for the most part, but Annabella could see some girls lean together and whisper between themselves. She moved to Erudite next, noticing that they were separated into their own little groups, muttering in their own spaces.

Amity was alive with joy - everyone had a smile on their faces as they talked about what they expected from their tests. Annabella watched them, feeling so distant from her faction. The girls and boys smiled happily, laughing with their friends and waving at people from other factions. One girl was conversing with a boy from Erudite, both smiling widely at each other.

"This is awesome, isn't it?" Annabella felt a hand land on her shoulder and she looked over to see her friend, Naomi. Annabella and Naomi had been friends for ages, though they were polar opposites. 

Naomi was the epitome of Amity - she was always happy, always willing to help out someone who was in need. Her tanned face was always lit up with a dazzling smile, her brown eyes light with joy. 

Annabella snorted. "What's awesome about it?"

"Don't be like that!" Naomi laughed. "I expected you to be more excited about today."

The sound of a train caused her to look away from her dark-haired friend. Annabella watched the train pull across the schoolyard with wide eyes, a smile forming on her full, pink lips as she watched Dauntless members jump from the train. They shouted as they jumped, announcing their arrival loudly. 

Annabella smirked. "I'll be more excited when it's actually Choosing day."

Naomi smiled at her friend. "I know you will be. Now come on, it's starting!"

Naomi pulled Annabella to the Amity section, tugging her into the seat next to her. An Erudite woman stepped to the front, her high-heeled shoes echoing around the room loudly. She cleared her throat and began to speak to the room, mentioning the war and how the factions were formed. 

She mentioned how the aptitude test would assign you to the faction you were best suited for, and then she stepped back. Another woman stepped up with a list and began calling off the first ten teenagers who would be tested. Annabella would be one of the first to go, considering she was early in alphabetical order.

She wiped her hands on her yellow shirt, slowly growing more and more nervous. What if she was wrong? What if she really was Amity and that was what her aptitude test would show? What if she wasn't Dauntless?

Naomi squeezed her hand, alerting her that they had called her name. Annabella took a deep breath and smiled at Naomi. She stood, walking towards the front of the room and began to follow an Abnegation boy who was also called back. She stopped at the door down from the boy and took another deep breath.

It was time to find out who she really was.


	2. 0.2

The room she sat in was small. A metal chair was placed in the middle, along with a computer on a table. A Candor woman with short blonde hair glanced at Annabella when she came in before motioning to the chair.

"Sit down."

Annabella sat, smoothing out her skirt as she did. Beside her, the woman filled up a small cup. "I'm Holly. I'll be administering your test today. Once in the simulation, you'll be offered a series of options to see which faction you best fit in to."

Holly looked up Annabella's outfit with a grimace. "You'll be fine. 95% get their original faction, so don't be surprised or upset if you do to."

Annabella rolled her eyes at the woman as she held out the cup. Annabella grabbed it, holding it up to Holly before tipping it back. "Cheers."

She heard Holly snort at her as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, she was in a room full of mirrors. Annabella sat up in the metal chair, furrowing her brows as she looked around. The room was endless, and she could see every angle of herself.

She stood, walking towards the front of the chair to try and see what else was in the room. However, she jumped when she heard a voice behind her. "Choose."

In front of her now was a version of herself, dressed in the same Amity clothes she had on. In between them was two small tables. On one sat a knife and on the other was a block of cheese. Annabella eyed herself warily before she picked up a knife.

The other Annabella disappeared and the sound of a dog barking echoed around the room. Annabella spun on her heel, noticing a large dog inching toward her, growling menacingly. She curled 

her fist around the knife tightly, crouching into her own attack position. Annabella had never attacked anything before, but she was determined to defend herself.

"A puppy!" Annabella looked to her left, eyes widening at the little girl who had appeared there. She was young, obviously from Amity from the clothes she was wearing. The child began to run to the dog, causing the animal to switch its attention from Annabella to the girl.

Annabella acted fact, lunging toward the dog before it reached the girl. Annabella jumped, the hand that held the knife was outstretched and she wrapped it around the dog as she reached him. Just as her hands gripped the dog's fur, she was pulled backwards.

She opened her eyes with a gasp, shooting up from the chair to a sitting position. Her chest rose up and down heavily, and she took a deep breath to settle her nerves. Annabella looked to Holly, who looked impressed.

"Congratulations." She told her. "Your result was Dauntless."

\---

Annabella sat on a table outside of the school building, waiting on Naomi. She was ecstatic - her test results were exactly what she wanted and now she could leave Amity without any doubts about where she belonged.

Naomi exited the building shortly, throwing her friend a soft smile. "That wasn't too bad."

The two girls began the walk back to their homes as Annabella agreed. "I was expecting something ten times harder, honestly."

Naomi hummed and the two girls walked in silence for a few moments. Naomi suddenly grabbed Annabella's hand and pulled the two to a stop, before wrapping her arms around Annabella. "I know we can't talk about our results, but I know what you want. You'll always be my best friend - no matter where we end up."

Annabella hugged her friend tightly, smiling into her neck. "You'll always be my best friend too, Naomi."

Naomi pulled away and squeezed her hand with a smile. "Now come on, let's go home."

Annabella nodded, and the two walked back hand in hand. When Annabella arrived home, her family sat inside waiting for her. Her mother was hunched over the stove, stirring a pot of food for dinner. Her father and brother sat at the dinner table, her dad reading a newspaper and her brother drawing on a piece of paper.

Her father was the first to greet her when she came in, gently kissing her forehead when she passed him. "Did you have a good day?"

Annabella hummed. "Yeah. How was everything here today?"

"We got a lot of stuff done." Her mom said to her daughter as Annabella began to wash her hands. 

Annabella pulled her sleeves higher up and grabbed a potato to help her mom cook. The kitchen was silent now, but she couldn't help but notice the subtle glances her parents were exchanging. She knew they were curious what her test results were, but rules were rules. Plus, they would find out at the Choosing Ceremony anyway.

The scraping of forks against plates filled the kitchen that night. Chandler made small noises as he ate his food, and Annabella couldn't help but smile as she watched him. After dinner, Annabella helped her mother with the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen.

Her mom sighed beside her as she put the last plate away and wiped her hands on a towel. Her mom leaned against the sink, looking at her daughter. Annabella raised a brow at her as she put up her plate. "Yes?"

Mrs. Beckett laughed softly, grabbing her daughter's face and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I love you, Annabella. Don't stay up too long. You want to be rested for tomorrow."  
Annabella nodded her head. "I won't."

The two told each other goodnight and Annabella sighed as she placed her head in her hands. 

\---

Mrs. Beckett ran her hands through her daughter's honey-blonde hair, gently pulling the tangles free. Annabella sighed, letting her eyes flutter shut as her mom's fingers grazed her scalp. "Are you nervous?"

Annabella opened her eyes, meeting her mother's through the mirror in front of them. "No."

It was silent for a few moments as Annabella studied her mother. "Were you nervous? On Choosing Day?"

"Not really." Her mom shrugged. "I was more afraid than anything. Afraid that I was making the wrong choice."

"Choice?" Annabella frowned. "It's not a choice. The Aptitude test tells you where you belong."

"It does." Mrs. Beckett agreed. "But you still have the choice to pick where you go. It's the beginning of a new life, Annabella. Choose wisely."

Annabella nodded her head, letting her mother's words process. It was the beginning of a new life. She knew what faction she was going to pick - she had always known and her test had only confirmed that Dauntless was the right fit for her.

After her mother placed the last pin in her hair, she patted Annabella's shoulders, motioning her to stand. She turned her daughter to face her and grabbed her hands tightly. "Wherever you choose, know that you'll always be my daughter. I'm proud of you, Annabella."

Annabella pulled her mom into a tight hug, burying her head into her neck. This would be the hardest part of the Choosing Ceremony - leaving her family. Though her mother's words reassured her that her family was still going to love her - at least her mother would. 

Mrs. Beckett pulled away from her daughter and smiled tightly. "Now go get ready. We have to leave soon."

Annabella nodded again, turning away from her mother and grabbing the yellow shirt she would be wearing, along with a black skirt that she had bought a while back. She hadn't worn anything this color before, but she decided today would be the perfect day to wear it.

When she met her family outside, her father looked at the color of her skirt, raising his brow. She stood straight, not allowing his expression to shake her confidence. Her mother smiled at her while Chandler took her hand. 

"Let's go." Her father took the lead, his family following behind him in order. Annabella could see Naomi walking with her family in front of them, and she pulled her brother over to her friend. Naomi grinned when she saw Annabella approach, and wrapped the girl in a hug.

"Today's the day!" Her friend's black hair was tied back into a tight braid, her skirt the same yellow of Annabella's shirt, with an orange top to match. "The start of the rest of our lives."

Annabella laughed with her, grabbing her hand with her free one. There was already a line outside of the building where the Choosing Ceremony would take place. When the two families made their way inside, they could see the five factions interacting with each other. The room was loud and crowded but they managed to push their way through to their seats.

A shrill noise made its way through the crowded room, causing people to groan and slap their hands over their ears. "Everyone sit in your assigned section, please."

Annabella saw an Abnegation man standing in the front of the room, recognizing him as Marcus Eaton, the leader of the Abnegation faction. In front of him was a table with five bowls. In each of the bowls represented a symbol of each faction - stone for Abnegation, soil for Amity, glass for Candor, water for Erudite and coals for Dauntless.

Marcus started off with a speech about the Choosing Ceremony and each of the factions. He spoke about how important it was for teenagers to make the right choice. Then he began calling names. Unlike the Aptitude test, the Choosing Ceremony started with the letter 'z' and went from there. 

Annabella would be one of the last people to choose. 

Naomi was one of the first. When her name was called, she squeezed Annabella's hand tightly, causing the girl to look up at her. "Remember what I said yesterday."

Annabella nodded, watching as she whispered to her parents before she descended down the stairs. Her friend stood in front of the bowls and took the knife. She raised her hand, holding it in the air for a few moments, before slowing sliding it to the stones of Abnegation.

Annabella wasn't surprised, but her heart ached at the sounds of Naomi's parents crying. 

More names were called. Most people chose the faction they were originally from, but when someone transferred, you could hear the cheering of each district, along with the cries from their families. Annabella looked at her parents, who smiled at her reassuringly. 

Her father grabbed her hand. "I know you'll make the right choice, Annabella."

She stared at him, wondering what he meant. He didn't look at her again but kept hold of her hand. 

Some of the transfers had surprised her. Two people from Abnegation - Beatrice and Caleb Prior had left their faction for Erudite and Dauntless. Most Amity kids had either stayed or went to Abnegation. Eventually her name was called. She took a deep breath, smiling at each of her parents and Chandler before she stood. 

"We love you." Her mother whispered as she walked past. "No matter what."

Annabella proceeded to walk down the steps, careful not to trip on her way down. She reached out and grasped the knife in her hand, similar to her simulation. She held it against her palm, cutting deep enough for blood to appear. 

She took a deep breath again, raising her clutched fist over the Dauntless bowl, and waited for her blood to drop inside.

It sizzled when it landed and the sound of Dauntless cheering caused her to fill with happiness. It was done.


	3. 0.3

Annabella still couldn't erase her parent's expressions from her mind as she exited the building with her new faction. Her mother, on one hand, looked proud of her daughter while her father stared at her with wide, tearful eyes.

Her and her father had never been that close, but they were family and they loved each other. Mr. Beckett knew about his daughter's misbehaving throughout Amity - everyone did - but he never thought she'd leave the faction for Dauntless. Chandler waved at her from his seat, though she could she how confused he looked as she left.

She couldn't think of it any longer because the Dauntless began to run. Annabella smiled and raised her skirt slightly, so she wouldn't trip on it. Her lungs burned as she ran, not used to this level of exercise at one time. But it felt good to her.

Up ahead, she could see a few members begin to climb up steel rails. She paused, watching them in disbelief for a seconds before she ran again. Annabella let go of her skirt and grabbed one of the rails. She put her leg on it, pulling herself up and began to climb after one of the Dauntless born. When she got to the top, she had to pull herself onto the platform.

A sense of pride filled her knowing she had reached the top of the platform. She looked around, noticing a set of train tracks in front of her and smirked. She knew what was going to happen now - they had to jump on a train.

When the other Dauntless members began to run, she followed them. The train was now moving beside her and, while it felt dangerous to be that close to a moving train, Annabella rejoiced in the feeling. She watched a boy grab onto the train door and jump in and put her arm out to do the same. She lifted herself into the train, nearly falling on her face when she felt someone steady her.

In front of her stood a boy in a white jacket and black jeans. Blonde hair fell over his forehead nicely and his brown eyes were warm when he smiled at her. Annabella smiled back. "Thank you."

"Not a problem." The boy said as he let go of her and extended his hand. "I'm Albert, but you can call me Al."

Annabella nodded her head. "I'm Annabella."

"You plan on sticking with that name, Amity?" Annabella turned to face a shorter girl, with short black hair and a darker complexion. She was from Candor as well based on her clothing. Beside her stood Beatrice Prior. "I heard you can change your name in Dauntless."

Annabella hummed, thinking for a moment. She had always liked being called Anna, even if her brother was the other one to do it. "Call me Ana."

"Ana." Al nodded his head in approval. "I like it."

"I'm Christina." The Candor girl introduced before motioning to Beatrice beside her. "This is Beatrice."

Shouting came from further down the train again and Ana saw two boys throw themselves out of the door. Her eyes widened and she moved to look out the train, relaxing when she saw the boys   
land on a roof. "They're jumping again."

"Again?" Christina asked. "I swear they're trying to kill us."

Ana only laughed at them before moving back to the furthest wall. She looked at the three, who stared at her in confusion. "Don't just stand there. Jump!"

With her words, she raced forward and jumped through the door, letting out an 'oof' when she landed on the concrete of the roof. She laughed loudly, as she stood, amazed that she had just jumped out of a train. Al stood beside her now as Beatrice and Christina laughed on the ground in front of them.

Ana looked around, feeling prideful as the wind whipped through her hair. Though, her face fell when she looked towards the edge of the building. A Dauntless girl was leaning over the edge, crying loudly as she looked over. "What happened?"

Christina looked in the same direction. "Someone must have missed the jump."

Ana hummed, feeling sorry for the girl. She didn't even have a chance. "Listen up!"

The group of four turned the other way, noticing that two Dauntless men had appeared. The one who had spoken was standing in front of a ledge with his hands crossed in front of him. He was dressed in all black, though his sleeveless shirt showed off his dark skin. "My name is Max. I'm one of the Dauntless leaders. The only way to enter this compound is by jumping off of the ledge. If you can't jump, you don't belong here."

Murmurs broke out throughout the crowd but Ana only looked around at them. This was Dauntless, what did they expect? Max jumped down from the ledge easily, looking at the group with narrowed eyes.

"Is there water at the bottom or something?" An Erudite boy with brown hair and pale skin asks.

Max smirks at him. "Only one way to find out."

The crowd is silent as everyone looks around, waiting for someone to make the first move. Ana looks at each other the transfers, wondering if anyone would step up first. She started to open her mouth, but Beatrice beat her to it.

The Abnegation girl stepped forward, sliding her arms of out her gray cardigan. One boy whistled and Ana looked over to a Candor boy. "Yeah, Stiff, take it off."

He muttered something else under his breath, causing the people around him to laugh loudly. Ana rolled her eyes at the boy, already knowing he was going to cause trouble here. Beatrice ignored them and climbed up onto the ledge shakily. Her new friend took a breath before she let herself fall.

Ana laughed at the sound of Beatrice's screams as she fell from the roof. She stepped up instantly. "I'll go next."

More murmurs erupted as Annabella stepped up to the ledge. She climbed onto it confidently, though when she looked down, she felt her hair stand up. She was never one for heights. Nevertheless, she turned around to face the boy from Candor. With a sarcastic grin at him, she fell backwards into the air.

Ann laughed as she fell. She spread her arms out, enjoying the feeling of the wind whipping her face. She felt free for the first time in her life.

Her back hit the net harshly, causing the wind to be knocked out of her briefly. She breathed in deeply, trying to regain her composure. However, the net was being pulled down and she felt herself roll towards the edge.

Another man was pulling down the net, looking at her with fierce, dark eyes. He gripped her arm tightly as he helped her out. Once her feet were on the ground, she thanked the man. A laugh broke out through the crowd. "A Stiff and an Amity are the first two jumpers. Amazing."

The man who helped her rolled his eyes, before speaking. His voice was deep and low. "What's your name?"

"Ana." Annabella answered, looking around the faction now.

"Second jumper, Ana!" He shouted, causing her to look back at him. He smirked and nodded his head to where Beatrice was standing. "Welcome to Dauntless."


	4. 0.4

Once everyone else had jumped from the roof and gathered in the compound, the group was told to gather in the center of the room. The man who had been on the roof stood next to the man who helped Annabella from the net. Two other people had joined them - one was a woman. Annabella skimmed her eyes over her, not noticing anything significant about her appearance.

But then her eyes landed on him.

He looked bored - his broad arms were crossed over each other and his light gray eyes were hooded as he leaned back against the wall. Above his eyebrow were two piercings and, as Annabella stared at him, she noticed that his ears held gauges as well. Tattoos in the shape of arrows lined his muscular arms and she allowed her eyes to linger on them. She had rarely seen tattoos before and the man looked good with them.

He looked good.

She wondered what his role was in the faction. Considering there were only a handful of people down here besides the initiates, she figured he had to be pretty high up in the rankings. His gray eyes swooped over the group, stopping when they landed on hers. He raised a brow at her, causing her to snap her eyes away from him. Her cheeks turned warm quickly.

"Alright." The man who had helped her out of the net spoke. "Dauntless born go with Lauren, transfers stay with me."

The Dauntless born left with the other woman - Lauren- quickly, leaving a smaller group with the three men. "My name's Four."

Christina snorted at him beside Annabella. "Four like the number?"

Four smirked at her. "Exactly like the number."

"What?" She laughed again. "One through three were taken?"

He looked at her with dark eyes, scoffing before walking forward with crossed arms. "What's your name?"

She told him, flicking her hair back as she did so. Ana watched in amusement at her new friend's behavior. "Well Christina, the first lesson you learn from me is to keep your mouth shut. Do you understand me?"

Christina nodded, uttering a soft 'yes.' Annabella sent her a smile - she could tell the girl was embarrassed now. She sure as hell would be.

Four turned around and began to walk, causing the group of transfers to scramble after him. Ana looked around with wide eyes, noting how different this faction looked to Amity. Distant cheering grew louder as they reached a room. They stood behind a railing, looking over a large room of people. Ana smirked at how happy the people looked below her.

"This is the Pit." Four told them. "The center of life here at Dauntless."

They continued to walk, being taken through the training room and then a place called the chasm. Ana almost felt scared as she leaned over the rail to look into the chasm. There was only one rail on the skinny walkway, making it easy for someone to trip and fall to the bottom, where a body of water was. She was more than happy to get off of the bridge.

"This is where you'll be living the next ten weeks." Four led them into an open room. The walls were lined with beds, which were stacked closely together. Ana wrinkled her nose.

"Boys or girls?"

"Both." Four smirked at them. At the sound of multiple groans, he added. "If you love this, you're gonna love the bathroom."

"You have got to be kidding me." Ana mumbled under her breath at the sight of the bathroom. It was open. There was absolutely no way to have privacy in the bathroom - her fellow initiates would see everything.

Everything.

"You have ten minutes to change and meet down in the Pit." Four said, motioning to a pile of clothes. "Get ready."

Once Ana had grabbed her clothes, she made her way to the bed beside Christina with a scowl. She began to pull the black cargo pants on under her skirt. "This is ridiculous."

Christina laughed at her. "You're not very happy for Amity."

"I'm not Amity." Ana grumbled as she tossed her shirt off. From across the room, she could hear a shrill whistle. She whipped around to meet the Candor boy, Peter's, smug face. Ana threw her hand off, flipping off the boy which made him laugh again. "Fuck off."

"Clearly." Christina laughed again. After the both of them tied up their boots, they met Tris and Al outside of the room. Another boy stood with them and Al introduced him as Will from Erudite.

The Pit was lively when they arrived. Loud conversations filled Ana's ears as she walked through the food line with her friends. She scooped a pile of potatoes on her plate, then followed the group to find a table.

Most of the tables were full but Christina managed to find them a few open seats. "Shall we sit here?"

Ana looked at the table, noticing Four was sitting there as well. "Yeah."

As they began to eat, she watched as Tris grabbed a hamburger, giggling at the expression that was on her face. "Have you never seen a hamburger before?"

"I've seen them." Tris placed it back on her plate. "I've just never ate one."

"Abnegation eat plain food." Will began to tell them. "Plant-based diet with no seasoning or sauces."

Ana wrinkled her nose as she took a bite of her food. "No wonder you left."

Christina was busy laughing at Will. "What textbook did you swallow?"

He only smiled, pointing his fork at her. "You have to be pretty self-confident to be friends with a Candor, y'know? No filter."

"You mean like, you're an idiot?" Al chuckled.

Christina laughed loudly. "Nice one Al. At least we tell the truth."

Ana and Tris shared amused looks. Will immediately argued their point. "Erudite can tell the truth because we have the facts. Unlike Amity, right? Lie to keep the peace."

"That was Amity." Ana held up her hands. "I have no problem telling you how it is."

"I don't want to hear about your old factions." Four’s deep voice interrupted their laughter. The five turned to look at him. "You're Dauntless now."

"Were you a transfer, too?" Tris questioned him and Ana looked at her with wide eyes. "Or were you a Dauntless born?"

Four looked shocked as he placed his fork on his plate. "Are you kidding me?" After Tris shook her head, he continued. "What makes you think you can talk to me?"

"Must be because you're so approachable." Ana whistled lowly, impressed that Tris had spoken back to him in the first place. He only stared at her causing the table to fall into an awkward silence.

It was only when a man came up to Four and he left that the group began to talk again. Christina and Al seemed to let out deep breaths. Ana began to laugh. "Damn."

"You, my friend, have a death wish." Christina said.

"I heard he finished top in his class." Will spoke softly now, almost as if he didn't want anyone to hear him. "They tried to recruit him twice for leadership, but he turned them down."

Ana frowned, wondering why he would turn down such a high position. Before she could ask anything else, an alarm blared through the room, causing her to jump. She looked up to the balcony, where a group of people stood looking down on them. She noticed Max standing in the front. "Initiates, stand."

Ana stood to her feet proudly, keeping her eyes locked on Max as he spoke. "You have chosen to join the warrior faction tasked with the defense of the city and its people. We believe in bravery and acts of courage it takes to stand up for one another. Respect that. Do us proud."

As the members of Dauntless began to cheer, Ana felt a surge of pride run through her. This was actually happening. After sixteen years of being in a faction she didn't belong in, she was in Dauntless.

She was Dauntless.

And she couldn't be happier about it.

\---

An object pounding against metal was what woke her up the next morning. She groaned, burying her face deeper into the pillow. "I want everyone in the Pit. Two minutes."

Her blanket was ripped from her body and she glared up at Al. The boy looked just as tired as she felt, but he motioned her to follow him anyway. She groaned again as she stood and grabbed clothes for the day.

Ana dressed quickly, not caring for people to see her undressed. While working in the fields in Amity kept her slim, she wasn't as fit as she wanted to be. She hoped training would help her with that.

She entered and exited the bathroom as fast as she could before she met her friends back in the room. The five of them walked down to the pit, too tired to talk on their way down. They were   
served breakfast, and Ana tried to wake herself up by drinking the coffee that had been provided to her. 

It was disgusting.

"Are you guys ready?" Christina nodded her head towards Four, who had entered the Pit. Ana watched as he called up the transfers and told them to follow him. The group followed Four to the training room they were showed yesterday and stood in a wide circle.

Ana looked around, noticing that Max and the tattooed man from yesterday were also in the room. They both stood behind Four, obviously checking out the group of newbies. Ann felt her cheeks flush when his eyes landed on her.

The tattooed man came to stand beside Four. "Welcome. My name is Eric."

His eyes passed over Ana again as he continued to speak. "There are two stages of training. The first is physical - push your bodies to their breaking points and you'll master the methods of combat. The second is mental. Again, breaking point. You'll face your worst fears and conquer them unless they get you first."

Ana didn't like the sound of that.

Four pointed behind them and the initiates turned to see another group, who Ana assumed was the Dauntless born. "You'll be trained separately from the Dauntless born but ranked together. After initiation, rankings will determine what jobs you move into. Leadership, guarding the fence, or keeping the factionless from killing each other."

"Rankings will also determine who gets cut." Eric jumped in causing every eye to turn to him.

Ana frowned. "Cut?"

Eric's stare cut through her but she resisted the urge to look away from his light eyes. "At the end of each stage of training, the lowest ranking initiates will be leaving us."

"To do what?" Another voice questioned behind Ana.

Eric rolled his eyes, sighing loudly. "There's no going home to your families, is there? You'd live factionless."

The group fell silent for a few moments, obviously shocked over this new information. No one had told them this before, and as far as Ana knew, this had never been a rule.

"Why didn't we know that?" Christina was the one who broke the silence.

"It's a new rule."

"New rule?!" She exclaimed. "Somebody should've told us that."

Ana watched as Eric grew increasingly irritated. A muscle in his jaw ticked before he spoke again. "Why? Would you have chosen differently? Out of fear?"

His eyes moved over each initiate again, stopping on Ana. His smirk grew as he watched her, making her extra conscious over her actions. "You chose us. Now we get to choose you."


	5. 0.5

Heavy pants fell out of Ana's mouth as she jogged beside Christina and Tris. The three were near the back of the group, not really caring about how fast they were running. It was their second official day of training. Yesterday they had really only been shown the punching bags and shown how to properly use them.

Now, they were jogging with Four around the Dauntless compound. They had barely woken up an hour ago and Ana was already ready to crawl back in bed. She hated being woken up before the sun was even up.

Their group slowed to a stop as they exited the compound. Four gathered them around, pointing at a group of people near the faction. Ana looked at Four with lowered eyebrows, wondering why he was showing them these people.

"Factionless." He began. "Not doing anything."

Ana felt an arm drape around her shoulder, sneering when she saw it was Peter. He had an ugly smirk on his face as he addressed her and Tris. "Check it out you two. That's gonna be your new family."

"Fuck off Peter." Ana nudged his arm off of her, harshly. "Neither of us will be living with the factionless. Can't say the same for you, though."

She smiled at him mockingly, causing the boy's face to turn red. He jabbed a finger at her, ready to tell her off when Four called for them to continue running. "We'll see about that pansycake."

Ana rolled her eyes at the nickname, waiting for Peter to jog in front of her before she followed. Tris bumped her with her elbow as they ran, shooting her a smile when Ana looked at her. "You really piss him off, you know?"

"He pisses me off." Ana grumbled. "I'm not a pansycake."

"Not anymore." Christina snickered beside her.

Ana ignored the ex-Candor, instead pushing herself to run faster so she wasn't beside them anymore. Their comments had upset her more than she cared to admit. She wasn't Amity anymore - truthfully, she had never felt like an Amity. She was going to be Dauntless - it shouldn't have mattered what faction she came from.

When they reached the training room, Ana rested her hands on her knees, drawing in deep breaths as she did so. Her blonde hair was tied back in a pony tail, but small strands still stuck to her sweaty forehead. Al stood beside her, hands behind his head as he tried to catch his breath as well. "I think they're trying to kill us."

Ana laughed. "Not yet, they aren't."

"Okay." Four spoke loudly. "Next, we're going to be working on your physical strength. For the physical stage, you will have to fight each other. You want to be ready for that. Remember what we told you yesterday about the punching bags. You may begin."

Al and Ana found bags close to each other before they began. Ana watched as Al started to strike the bag, taking note of his form as he swung. She widened her stance and raised her hands to her face before she hit the bag. Her face turned red when the bag didn't move.

Al chuckled beside her. "You may want to hit it a little harder than that."

"I did hit it hard." She said, sheepishly. She tried again, this time trying to hit the bag harder. She moved her body into the punch this time and smiled when the bag moved from side to side. "Sweet!"

"How did you make it swing like that?" Al asked with wide eyes. His only swayed slightly.

Ana shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I threw my weight into my punch I think."

Al hummed, turning his attention back to the bag and punched it. It moved more this time, though not as much as Ana's had a moment ago. He didn't say anything as he adverted his gaze. Ana turned her focus back to punching the bag, feeling prouder the more she hit it. She felt like she was getting the hang of it - until she looked up.

Across the training room was Eric. He was leaning against the wall, one leg raised against it and his strong arms crossed over his chest. His gray eyes were piercing into Ana's and she felt herself becoming shy. Why was he looking at her like that? Was she doing something wrong? Did she look like an idiot?

She looked away, blinking quickly to try and clear her thoughts. He was probably just evaluating her like he did with all the initiates. She raised her fists again, throwing it towards the bag.

"You're not doing it right." A deep voice behind her made her jump. She turned her head, flinching back when she noticed how close the leader was to her. He had a deep frown on his face as he stared down at her. How did she not notice him coming over to her?

"W-What?" Her voice was small and she wanted to kick herself for how pathetic she sounded.

"You're doing it wrong." He spoke as if he was speaking to a child and Ana wanted to punch him instead of the bag. She rolled her eyes at him and began to turn away when he grabbed her waist.   
She gasped at him but allowed him to show her what to do. 

"Tighten your core when you throw the punch." He said quietly. His lips were close to her ear as he spoke. Ana could feel his arm breath against her cheek, causing her arms to break out in chills. "Try again."

His hands slipped off of her waist and he nodded towards the bag. She turned away from him, doing as he said and punching the bag once again. She was able to hit the bag with more force and smiled widely. When she turned around to thank him, he was gone.

___

Their training session was interrupted for lunch, which Ana and her friends were very happy about. Ana's hands hurt after punching the bag for what felt like hours. She could already see small bruises forming on her knuckles.

Ana spooned a bite of food into her mouth, keeping quiet as she listened to the conversation around her. Her mind had wandered to Eric and how he had helped her earlier. He was even more attractive up close. His pale eyes popped out against his blonde hair. His lips were full and pouty, though they appeared to be pulled down in a frown.

"I'm exhausted." Christina groaned as she pushed her plate away from her to lay her head on the table. Ana smiled at her friend's dramatic attitude, taking another bite of the salad she had got. 

"We still have another round to go through today." She reminded her. "I think Four said we're throwing knives."

"I think that's tomorrow." Will was shaking his head. "I think we're fighting more today."

Tris frowned. "Like with the punching bags, or actual fighting?"

Will only shrugged. "I guess we'll find out."

Ana sagged her shoulders, stabbing her fork into her plate. No one was ready to fight today - or at least she wasn't. She was just getting the hang of punching the bags, but the bags were nowhere close to a real person.

What if she was put up against Peter? Or one of her friends?

When they met back up for training, they were instructed to start on the punching bags again. This time, instead of her fists, she used her arms to attack it at well. She made sure to follow Eric's advice, and kept tension in her stomach the whole time she swung.

"First jumper!" A voice boomed across the room. Ana turned to see Eric and Four in the fighting area. She looked to Tris, whose eyes were wide with worry. "In the ring."

Eric called the last jumper up next. Ana watched as a bigger girl walked up to the ring, clearly not worried about what was going to happen. The girl had short brown hair and she stood a few inches taller than Tris. Ana couldn't remember the girl's name, but she had seen her hanging around with Peter.

This wasn't going to end well for Tris.

"It's time to fight." Eric announced as Ana was joined by Christina and Al. Will stood next to Christina but shot all of them nervous glances.

"How long do we fight for?" The girl asked, glancing down at Tris.

"Until one of you can't continue." Eric says in a bored tone.

Four stepped forward. "Or until one of you concedes."

"According to the old rules." Eric was rolling his eyes at Four now. "New rules, no one concedes."

The two leaders seemed to be exchanged a few words between each other. Ana watched the two from the corner of her eye. Whatever Four had said seemed to piss Eric off. "You guys will be scored on this so fight hard."

He moved to lean against a pole, crossing his arms once again. Ana forced her eyes away from him to look at Tris and the other girl. The girl had lowered herself into a fighting position, causing Tris to follow her action. She looked very nervous, glancing back to Four and Eric.

"Go." Eric threw his arm out, waiting for the fight to start. His eyes floated back to Ana, who quickly looked away from him.

"Don't be scared, Stiff!" Peter's voice echoed as the girls began to circle the ring. Ana threw him a scowl, which he only smiled at. "Just think, pansycake. Maybe you and I will be the next ones in the ring."

"Are you really ready to lose to a girl?" Ana turned her body to him. Her dark brows were raised as she waited for an answer.

Peter laughed at her. "I won't be losing to a girl. Especially a girl like you."

"What do you mean by that?" She asked, clearly offended. "You think a girl from Amity couldn't kick your ass?"

"Initiates." Eric's voice cut through their arguing. "Shut up."

Ana rolled her eyes, mumbling underneath her breath. She caught Eric's eye and she was almost convinced that he looked amused. Almost - he had looked away before she could actually tell. She looked back towards Tris, who had managed to land a hit to the other girl. "Go Tris!"

Eric frowned at Ana, but she paid him no attention as she watched her friend in the ring. Christina cheered beside her, urging the Abnegation girl on. The events turned quickly as the other girl punched Tris in the face, causing her to fall backwards. The other girl stopped, looking towards Eric to see what she was supposed to do.

To Ana's surprise, Eric only urged the girl on. Ana leaned forward, gasping when she saw the girl raise her leg to kick Tris in the face, properly knocking her unconscious.


End file.
